HDZ official signed a contract with Prointer: Russian company Kaspersky to install 'antivirus' programs in the Council of Ministers of BiH!

By: Istraga.ba

The Russian company Kaspersky, which Western officials link to the intelligence services of the Russian Federation, will install an "antivirus" system in the Council of Ministers of BiH. The supplier of this software is the company Prointer, which is linked to Igor Dodik, the son of Republika Srpska President Milorad Dodik.

The contract with Prointer for the supply of Kaspersky antivirus software was signed on December 27, 2022, by the Secretary General of the Council of Ministers of BiH, Robert Vidović from HDZ BiH. The entire tender procedure was carried out by the General Secretariat of the Council of Ministers of BiH, which was headed by this official of Dragan Čović during the past and current convocation of the Council of Ministers of BiH.

"The contracting parties mutually agree that the Group of bidders: Prointer IT rješenja i servisi – Prointer IT solutions and services d.o.o. Sarajevo, and Prointer ITSSS d.o.o. Banja Luka – member of Infinity International Group has been selected as the most favorable bidder for the upgrade and support of the End-point security system in the Council of Ministers of BiH, based on a competitive procedure for submitting bids, for the procurement of the upgrade and support for the End-point security system in the Council of Ministers of BiH," reads Article 1 of the Contract signed by the General Secretariat of the Council of Ministers of BiH and the representative of Prointer.

The representative of Prointer signed the contract on December 28, 2022, the day when the House of Representatives of the BiH Parliamentary Assembly confirmed Borjana Krišto as the Chairwoman of the Council of Ministers of BiH. The Secretary General of the Council of Ministers of BiH, Robert Vidović (HDZ BiH), signed the contract the day before, on December 27, 2022.

According to the tender documentation, Prointer will supply the Council of Ministers of BiH with "End-point security solutions" – Kaspersky Endpoint Security for Business – Advanced 200 licenses.

Thus, the company Prointer, with which Igor Dodik is associated, according to his father Milorad Dodik's admission, will supply these security software.

"Kaspersky Endpoint Security for Business ADVANCED offers a combination of top-notch security technologies and a far-reaching management system, all controllable through a single management console – computer," is stated in one presentation of Kaspersky security systems.

And now let's see what Kaspersky does. According to Reuters, US authorities warned companies in February last year about the dangers posed by Kaspersky software.

"The US government began privately warning some American companies the day after Russia invaded Ukraine that Moscow could manipulate software designed by the Russian cybersecurity company Kaspersky to cause harm," Reuters reported on March 31 last year.

German authorities issued a warning similar to the American one.

"Antivirus software produced by the Russian company Kaspersky should be replaced with another product, as this program is connected to the manufacturer's servers, which could be used by intelligence services loyal to the Kremlin as a backdoor into users' computers in the West, even without the company's knowledge," stated the Federal Office for Information Security of Germany.

The founder of the Kaspersky company is Eugene Kaspersky, who, according to Reuters, is described by US officials as a former Russian intelligence officer.

A senior US official told Reuters last year that Kaspersky staff based in Russia could be forced to provide or assist in establishing remote access to their clients' computers by Russian police or intelligence agencies.

The company that supplies software and licenses from the Russian company Kaspersky in Bosnia and Herzegovina is Prointer from Banja Luka, which is connected to Igor Dodik, the son of SNSD President Milorad Dodik, who does not hide his ties to Vladimir Putin's regime.

"He is not the owner, nor an authorized person, but he is an associate of that company, he deals with new technologies, cooperates with foreign companies and has income from it," Milorad Dodik said, among other things, in July 2017, responding to opposition MPs in the National Assembly of Republika Srpska.